4070 Vineyard Drive, Paso Robles, CA 93446, us
Winery/Vineyard Direct: (805) 835-9446
About The Willow Creek Wine Co.
The vision for Willow Creek Wine Co. began in 2016 when the Brown family purchased a small ten-acre parcel on Vineyard Drive in the Willow Creek District of Paso Robles.
Brian and Natalie Brown moved to the property and began the work on rehabbing the land that been overrun with underbrush and weeds. Both winemakers professionally, their dream was to farm their own piece of earth and build a winery that could house their multiple brands. At the time, Brian and Natalie already produced their own projects, Emerson Brown and Rococo, respectively, and were beginning to produce wines together under the brand that would eventually become Soubrette.
They knew that they would one day plant a few acres of grapes on the new farm and produce wines from this fruit. In 2019 they harvested their first crop off the property, and these wines led into In Medias Res.
In 2020, they slowly opened the doors on the estate’s brand-new production facility and tasting room, and now feature all four of their brands in their tasting room:
Rococo, which produces old vine Chenin Blanc,
Soubrette, which focuses on Central Coast Rhône blends,
Emerson Brown Wines, a Napa Cabernet project, and
In Medias Res, their Tête de Cuvée estate wines.
Our Farm - SōNA Estate
The Willow Creek Wine Co. is located on SōNA Estate, which is on Vineyard Drive in the Willow Creek District of Paso Robles, California. What began as a ten-acre project is now twenty-five, after Brian’s parents followed him down from Northern California and purchased the adjoining fifteen acres in 2017.
A little over twelve acres of land that for decades was dry-farmed grain has been converted to vineyard. Brian has over twenty years of experience farming in both Paso Robles and Napa Valley and has selected heritage clonal material and unique rootstocks appropriate for dry-farming in this unique terroir.
In addition to farming their own fruit, Natalie and Brian have spent years fostering relationships with other growers and producers, and source from premier vineyards as far south as Santa Barbara and as far north as Napa Valley.
Wines
Producing site driven wines with minimal cellar intervention has always been something the partnership has been committed to. Although they have different winemaking educations, the two see eye to eye on stylistic decisions and technical details. Across brands, their wines are often described as clean, fruit forward, and easy to drink. In general, the Rococo and Soubrette wines tend to be light and refreshing, while the Emerson Brown and In Medias Res wines have a richer, denser style.
Ultimately, their promise to each other is to never bottle a wine that they wouldn't drink themselves.
We hope you enjoy the wine as much as we enjoy making it.
-Brian and Natalie Brown
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